Start Date: July 2020

ID #: CAS063

Organization: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Project Lead: Erica Kenney

See more related research

Share


The goal of this project is to use administrative SNAP data from Massachusetts (MA) to identify the prevalence and risk factors for churning among households with children aged 0 to 5 years (n=203,000) and the impact of recent administrative policy changes on churning in this population. In collaboration with Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) in Massachusetts, the subrecipient expects to identify concrete, actionable ways to reduce future churning –knowledge that may help maximize the impact of SNAP among the most vulnerable participants. The specific aims for this project are: Aim 1: to identify the frequency of churning among households with young children, overall and by the number of children; Aim 2: to assess risk factors (household demographics, program participation history) for churning among households with young children; and Aim 3: to evaluate the impact of state administrative policies on the prevalence of churning among households with young children.

Related Research

September 2022

Simplification of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Recertification Processes and Association With Uninterrupted Access to Benefits Among Participants With Young Children

In the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), families may temporarily lose benefits for which they are still eligible because of administrative issues. This lapse in benefits, referred to as churning, increases the risk of food insecurity for families, which is linked with poorer health. This study examined the rate of churning among SNAP participants with More

April 2026

Policy Priorities and Research Needs for Advancing Healthy Eating: A 2026-2027 Research Agenda for U.S. Children and Adolescents

Given recent changes to nutrition policies and programs and the food environment landscape, the need for new evidence on how these changes impact nutrition, health, and food access is greater than ever. HER has also published a research agenda intended to provide a blueprint for immediate (i.e., 12-18 month) research needs to inform strategies to More

November 2025

Informing equitable implementation of SNAP food restriction waivers

SNAP is the largest federally funded nutrition assistance program in the U.S., providing support to more than 40 million Americans. This study aims to provide tangible information, insights, and resources grounded in SNAP participants’ preferences and feedback to support the implementation and communication of SNAP Food Restriction waivers, minimizing barriers to SNAP participation and benefit More